Athletic swing measurement system and method

• US 3,945,646 A
• Filed: 12/23/1974
• Issued: 03/23/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Athletic Swing Measurement Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Athletic Swing Measurement Incorporated
• Inventors: Hammond, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gill, James J.
• Application Number:
  US05/535,551
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 73/379, 73/493, 73/517 R, 73/510, 273/183 D, 273/186 A, 340/177 R, 340/178, 340/179, 340/182, 340/262
• US Class Current: 473/223
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/54 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/46 Measurement devices associated with golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like for measuring physical parameters relating to sporting activity, e.g. baseball bats with impact indicators or bracelets for measuring the golf swing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

An athletic implement, such as a golf club, has a shaft and a club having a ball-striking face. Multiple accelerometers are positioned in the club so as to measure acceleration in directions normal and parallel to the face and parallel to the shaft, when the implement is swung to strike a ball. Signals representative of acceleration measured in each direction are then transmitted to a remote console where these signals are processed by vector computation to provide indicia representative of the swing, such as club face position, club velocity and acceleration.

Claims

1. A measurement system, comprising:

an athletic implement having a shaft and an end portion attached thereto, said end portion having a face which is adapted to strike a ball along a desired path of flight;

first means mounted with said end portion for sensing an element of motion relative to acceleration of said end portion in one direction substantially parallel with said desired path of flight;

second means mounted with said end portion for sensing an element of motion relative to acceleration of said end portion in another direction substantially parallel with said face; and

means for receiving an input from said first and second sensing means and computing an output representative of the instantaneous position of said face relative to a preselected reference plane during movement of said implement.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein said another direction is substantially normal to said one direction.

3. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising third means for sensing an element of motion relative to acceleration of said end portion in a third direction substantially normal to said one and another directions.

4. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a third means for sensing an element of motion relative to acceleration of said end portion in a third direction substantially normal to said one and another directions.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising means for preselecting said reference plane as the desired plane of flight of said ball.

6. A golf club swing measurement and display system comprising:

a golf club having a shaft and a club attached thereto, said club having a face which is adapted to strike a golf ball;

a first accelerometer positioned in said club so as to measure acceleration in a first direction parallel with said shaft;

a second accelerometer positioned in said club so as to measure acceleration in a second direction normal to said first direction and substantially parallel with the desired line of flight of said ball;

a third accelerometer positioned in said club so as to measure acceleration in a third direction normal to both said first and second directions;

each of said accelerometers including means for providing an electrical signal which varies responsive to the acceleration measured thereby;

means carried by said shaft and coupled to said accelerometer for transmitting an output modulated by said signals;

means for receiving and demodulating said output and reproducing said signals; and

means coupled to said receiving and demodulating means for computing vectors from at least two of said signals.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

means for receiving and processing an output from said vector computer and providing signals corresponding thereto; and

means for visually representing an output from said receiving and processing means.

8. A method for displaying the position of the ball striking face of the head of a golf club relative to a preselected plane, comprising the steps of:

measuring acceleration of said head in three directions, each direction being substantially normal to the other direction, one of said directions being substantially parallel with said preselected plane;

resolving said acceleration measurements to determine the position of said face and providing an electrical signal corresponding thereto; and

processing said signals and providing a visual display thereof.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the steps of calculating the point of impact between said face and a ball struck by said face, and employing said calculation results as a reference for said visual displays.